


Still Here

by Violett92



Series: Us Against The World [2]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Post-Hawk Moth Defeat, Post-Reveal Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-15
Updated: 2021-03-15
Packaged: 2021-03-23 12:01:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,125
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30055176
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Violett92/pseuds/Violett92
Summary: Ladybug throws a press conference to deal with the aftermath of Papillon’s defeat.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Alya Césaire & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Series: Us Against The World [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2039138
Comments: 1
Kudos: 75





	Still Here

**Author's Note:**

> Unedited and not beta-read. I’ll edit at some point, so I’m sorry if it’s trash.

Blinding lights and flashes from the cameras surrounded her, the roaring of the crowd just barely louder than the blood rushing through her ears as her heart pounded an unsteady rhythm against her sternum. 

Taking a deep, steadying breath, Ladybug took a step forward and braced her hands on either side of the podium. “Please,” she called, trying to hide the anxious quiver in her voice as she addressed the crowd. “Settle down, and I’ll answer as many questions as I can.” 

It took a few more moments for the reports to quiet down before the crowd settled into something more manageable. Hands and microphones waved in the air as cameras pushed past each other to get the best shot. 

Despite knowing her partner perched silently nearby, Ladybug's nerves were on fire. Chat Noir had always been the one more skilled with the public, and holding this press conference without her _Chaton_ by her side was agonizing.

Having stalled long enough, Ladybug gestured to the nearest reporter who didn’t look ready to claw somebody’s eyes out just to get the best shot. “I’ll take one question at a time. You, in the front—what would you like to ask?”

The woman in question leaned forward, her eyes lighting up with glee at having been the first person addressed. She raised the microphone to her chin as her cameraman shifted to get a better angle of his coworker and the hero up front. “Was Adrien Agreste involved in any part of his father’s criminal affairs?” 

“No,” Ladybug corrected instantly. She was prepared for the question—she and Alya had gone over all the potential questions and follow-up questions she could possibly be asked during the interview for a week straight. Despite that, she still felt a hot, fierce need to protect her partner at all costs, but had to temper the feeling so as not to raise suspicions of her connections to him. It wouldn’t do to publicly out his identity, the threat of Papillon gone or not. If she’d learned anything from the few visits they’d received from Bunnyx so far, it’s that Ladybug and Chat Noir would always have another villain to fight. “Adrien Agreste was in _no way_ involved in his father’s villainy. Adrien came to us the moment he found out his father’s identity, and even had a huge hand in helping Chat Noir and I finally defeat Papillon. If it wasn’t for Adrien’s courage, we might not have won that day.” 

At her answer, the press went into a frenzy. Reporters called out frantic question after frantic question, nearly shoving each other out of the way to move closer. 

“Hey!” she cried, her anxiety climbing. She just wanted to go home and relax with Adrien after the stress of weeks preparing what to say at this very conference. “Please, one at a time!” 

Relief flooded trough her when she caught sight of a firey ombré toward the back of the crowd, perched on her boyfriend’s shoulders. Alya offered her a wink before raising her streaming phone for a better angle.

 _Dieu merci._ “You, in the back,” Ladybug called. “You own the Ladyblog, right? What’s your question?” 

“Where is Gabriel Agreste now?” 

The crowd quieted. _Good_. The sooner they made it through their script, the sooner they could put everything that had happened behind them.

Despite all their planning beforehand, it still took Ladybug a moment to remember the rehearsed answer. “At this time, we’re not sure of Gabriel Agreste’s whereabouts, but the police are putting their everything into finding him.“ 

“What about the akuma threat?” came Alya’s follow-up question.

For the first time that evening, Ladybug let a genuine smile graze her lips. “I’m proud to say that the people of Paris‘ emotions are once again free. The butterfly Miraculous is now in safe hands, and the threat of Papillon’s akumas are no more.” 

The crowd erupted into cheers, but they were short-lived as Nadja Chamack pushed her way to the front of the crowd. Ladybug's smile fell at the sight of the skilled reporter. While she liked Nadja as a person, she’d come to hate her as an investigator. She dug too close to the truth, and from Ladybug’s previous experience, the truth _hurt_. 

Nadja held the microphone high as Ladybug’s fingers curled into the edge of the podium. “How did Adrien Agreste survive the fall?” 

Ladybug jerked with the force of the memory of her partner falling, falling, _falling_. 

_Blood trailing from trembling lips, green eyes fading, blood, so much blood._

“ _L-La—_ “ 

With nowhere else to go, her breath caught in her lungs. Before she could spiral into a full-blown panic attack, she felt the cool leather Chat Noir’s palm against her lower back, there to protect her, as always.

A part of her felt guilty for relying on him when the whole point of her going to the conference alone was to give him a break from the emotional toll that came with dying and having your father—the very man who was responsible for said death—turned to a pile of ash a few mere hours later.

It hadn’t occurred to her that maybe _she_ was the one who wasn’t ready.

“Ladybug’s Miraculous Cure is responsible for saving Adrien’s life,” he answered effortlessly, tracing gentle circles against her back in a soothing manner as she took a moment to catch her breath. “He‘s very, very lucky to be alive; the reason we’ve always asked you all to steer clear of akuma attacks. We hope this can be a lesson for you on taking care of yourselves and making your safety a priority over the cameras.” 

They wrapped the conference up after that, Chat’s hand moving to wrap around her shoulders as the many unsatisfied civilians cried more questions behind them. 

“What was Adrien doing on the Eiffel Tower in the first place?” 

“Will you disappear now that Papillon has been defeated?” 

“Why was Ladybug so emotional over Adrien’s death?” 

“Will there be a future for ‘LadyNoir’?”

Each question made her head spin a little more, the roaring in her ears a little louder. Her hands and lips tingled and she couldn’t seem to get enough air in her lungs, not until Chat Noir carried them to a nearby rooftop and wrapped her in his arms. The anxiety gradually faded in a comfort of Chat Noir’s— _Adrien’s—_ tight hold.

“I’m okay, M’lady,” he reassured on a whisper, his lips pressing gently against her hairline. “I’m still here. Everything’s okay.”

Her hands tightened on the fabric of his suit as she buried her face in his chest, the sound of his heartbeat steadying her. _He’s still here. He’s still alive._

 _“_ It’s you and me against the world, Bugaboo.” 

“Always.”  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> This is more of a snippet than an actual fic, but most of the fics in this series will be similar. They’re more meant to follow what happened overtime in _We’ll Be Okay_ than anything else.


End file.
